Must-Reads

Only the top 40 restaurants were ranked in 2011's Best Restaurants list.

Not many suburban restaurants have a downtown vibe, but this sleek wine bar feels urban while maintaining a friendly neighborhood atmosphere.

The scene is set with a wall of windows facing the street, an open kitchen, and canvases splashed with gold and cobalt. Service also sets this place apart: Staffers offer helpful wine tips and sample sips along with advice about the menu.

Chef/owner Jeff Heineman honed his chops at Kinkead’s, so seafood dishes are a good bet, including a rice-based dish of scallops and mussels with a coconut-spiked sauce that tastes like a Caribbean gumbo. Supersized appetizers and boozy desserts round out a menu that dabbles in global influences but is American at heart. The extensive wine list, with such playful headings as Defiantly Dry and Deliciously Sweet, comprises nearly 500 varieties from around the world.